A $900 carrot, dangling enticingly in front of the sprint car division, left one driver elated and two others surveying mangled metal late Saturday at Route 66 Motor Speedway.

Jim Uselton, of Clovis, N.M., scorched the sprint division for the fifth time in nine races as 3,065 looked on. A total of 117 drivers - a record 15 in the sprint class - competed.

A week ago, Uselton failed to make the A Main after his car's rear end locked up during hot laps. His purple-and-yellow No. 24 machine was damaged beyond repair, and Uselton lost the points lead to Larry Roberts.

But Uselton started 10th Saturday and stormed to the front quickly, passing pole-sitter Jeff Kirkes with 13 laps remaining. He won by more than two seconds over Terry West and Jeremy Ball.

"We really needed the $900 to fix what we broke last week," Uselton said. "We changed some stuff on the car, and it came out fast. It just worked good on the bottom, and we were able to hang in there and go to the front. The car might have worked better tonight than it has all year."

Two contenders fell out of the race on lap 3 of the 20-lap feature, when Tommy Joe Keeling's car spun, collecting Scott Brown. Brown's bright green No. 45 car had carved its way from the 13th starting position to the top eight. The collision sent Keeling's car onto its side on the front stretch and Brown's machine into the outside retaining wall. Both drivers escaped injury, but neither car could continue.

Keeling said his spin was caused by contact with Ball's car.

"The 30 car got into me about the middle of (Turns) 3 and 4," Keeling said. "When he got me spun around, I just got into Scott. I didn't have anywhere to go. Scott didn't have anywhere to go."

The debut of the No. 45 car came to an abrupt end. Brown, racing for only the second time this year, drove Monty Getman's sprint car the previous week to gain seat time and experience with track conditions.

With a record number of sprint cars on hand, Moss Bodyshop added $500 to the prize money for the feature winner. Speedway owner Bill Worthen said the regular first-place purse is $400. The sprints will compete for a $1,000 first prize this week.

The UMP modified A Main was the only feature race to run caution-free. Pole-sitter Rick Lovelady led the first 11 laps before defending track champ Greg Hudspeth blasted by on the outside of Turn 2. But Don Dowdy tracked Hudspeth down with three laps remaining and roared to his first victory of the season. Hudspeth held on for second, just in front of four-time winner Kelly Cross.

"I knew if I stayed at the bottom I could catch him (Hudspeth), because I was reeling him in every lap," said Dowdy, who purchased his car from competitor Ronnie Black. "This car works good when it's (the track) dry. I bought it from Ronnie and I haven't done nothing to it but put a motor in it. The car just works real good, so you settle into a groove and just be patient."

Glenn Koonce survived a 21-lap spinfest in the super stock A Main and claimed his second feature victory of the season. Koonce held off a late charge from Lyndon Melton and points leader Danny White.

The evening's proceedings literally came to a screeching halt when Roger Blackwell spun his No. 27 car during the cyclone feature. Blackwell's car bounced off several others, injuring the driver in the process. He was awake and alert as he was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital complaining of neck pain. There was a 27-minute delay while track officials waited for a replacement ambulance, then racing resumed.

When the cyclones continued, Lucinda Smith grabbed the lead and held it for 10 laps. D.J. Coppock used David Shipman as a pick to get around Smith and hauled in his third feature win of the season.

Shipman had an eventful race. With seven laps remaining he hooked his right front bumper on points leader Aaron Corea's left rear and spun him out. He then tangled with Smith on the last lap, and both cars hit the wall hard. Neither finished.

Ronnie Barnes finished second, and Shelly Purkey took third.

In the street stock A Main, Chad Austin stalked pole-sitter Allen Nalley for 16 laps before finally getting beneath the No. 33 car in Turn 4 with four laps remaining. Nalley's car broke on the next lap, bringing out the red flag, but Austin held off Ott Coppock and Steve Young for his first feature victory of the season.

"There's been a lot of single-file racing out there on the bottom (of the track)," Austin said. "You've got to find something to get faster. I've just been changing it every week, and I guess I finally found the right setup."